SkieWhy did my locate request fail or not return a position?
A locate request fails when the device cannot answer: it is off, has no Wi-Fi or mobile data, has run out of battery, or could not get a position fix at that moment. Skie shows the reason on the dashboard and keeps the previous pin with its original time, so an old position is never shown as a new one.
A locate request is a message to the device, and the device has to reply. Most failures are ordinary. The tablet is switched off or flat. It is in a bag in a room with no Wi-Fi. The SIM has no data balance. The device is indoors and cannot get a position fix just then.
When this happens Skie reports the reason it can see, rather than leaving the dashboard spinning. The previous pin stays on the map with the time it was recorded. That is deliberate: an admin deciding whether to send someone to a place should know whether the pin is a minute old or a day old.
Work through it in order. First, look at the last-seen time. If the device checked in recently, try the request again, because a missed fix is often brief. If it has been silent for hours, look at the breach centre, where an unusual silence is raised as an alert. Then think about the practical causes: charger, Wi-Fi password change, a classroom with no signal, a device left in a locker.
Rules on the device keep working while it is offline, because they are cached locally. Only reporting stops. When the connection returns, the device syncs and reports again without anyone doing anything.
Practical tip: a Wi-Fi password change is a common hidden cause for a batch of devices going quiet at once. If many devices fail together, check the Wi-Fi profile before you suspect the devices themselves.